Optics11, an Amsterdam-based DeepTech company that develops advanced fibre-optic sensing solutions for harsh environments, has signed a €25 million venture debt financing agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB).
The EIB backing is supported under the European Commission’s InvestEU programme.
Founded in 2011 as a spin-off from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam by experimental physics professor Davide Iannuzzi and entrepreneur Hans Brouwer, Optics11 builds fibre-optic sensing systems designed for applications in the energy sector and underwater security. Its offerings combine precision fibre-optic hardware with threat-detection software to enable ultra-sensitive vibration and acoustic monitoring without electromagnetic interference, supporting use cases such as submarine monitoring, border surveillance, structural health monitoring of naval assets and electricity networks.
The company’s product suite includes OptiFender, a predictive monitoring solution that identifies and locates partial discharge events in high- and medium-voltage electrical systems, and subsea solutions such as OptiBarrier and OptiArray that provide continuous early-warning protection for underwater infrastructure. Last year Optics11 raised €17 million in a funding round led by FORWARD.one and SET Ventures.
Optics11 will use the EIB financing to accelerate research and development for both civilian and defence applications, speed productisation and support Europe-wide adoption of its monitoring technology to protect critical infrastructure—particularly subsea assets and high-voltage power grids—enhancing resilience against disruptions and sabotage.
“Disruptions to subsea infrastructure, maritime trade or failures in high-voltage grids have immediate and far-reaching consequences on our society. With this EIB financing, Optics11 accelerates the deployment of unique fibre-optic sensing technologies that protect the infrastructure so essential to Europe’s security and energy resilience,” said Optics11 CEO Paul Heiden.
